HOLT - Developer Scott Gillespie is planning to build two buildings with apartments and restaurant space on a large vacant lot downtown.

The $12-million Esker Square project will be located on Cedar Street between Bond Avenue and Veterans Drive. Two 45,000-square-foot buildings will house 60 apartments and 28,000 square feet of retail space.

"This will be the beginning of the transformation of the Cedar corridor to a downtown that Holt has never had before," said Howard Haas, executive director of the Delhi Township Downtown Development Authority, before a press conference on the development."

Gillespie, of The Gillespie Co. plans to break ground on the project in the spring. The building is called Esker Square after the glacial formation that once cut through the township. An esker is a narrow ridge of gravel and sand deposited by a stream flowing underneath or within a glacier.

"Maybe we will be the start of the rebirth and growth of the township," Gillespie said. "I hope it adds to the vibrancy of the area."

Gillespie said the buildings will be able to house eight businesses and will be marketed for restaurant and office space. The 60 apartments are a mix of one- and two-bedroom units that will be listed at market-rate prices. The project includes a plaza between the two buildings that can be used for restaurant patios or community gatherings, he said.

Gillespie has similar mixed-use projects underway in Lansing's east side neighborhood, such as the $5-million Venue at East Town on the 2000 block of Michigan Avenue and Provident Place two blocks east.

Haas said this project kicks off Realize Cedar, the township's master plan to redevelop Holt's downtown core and infrastructure along its stretch of Cedar Street.

The vacant land was once the site of a gas station, used car lot and car wash, Haas said. The properties will qualify for a brownfield tax incentive, but Gillespie still needs to buy the properties and submit a brownfield plan.

The redevelopment of "this corridor is really critical," said Bob Trezise, president and CEO of the Lansing Economic Area Partnership. "It's a major backbone of the region. This is a great contribution to the township and the region."

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The 2000 block of Cedar Street in Holt will be redeveloped into three-story apartments and retail space.(Photo: Alexander Alusheff/Lansing State Journal)